John Evelyn and the fruit garden: a reassessment

Abstract

This thesis considers John Evelyn as horticultural expert with reference to texts containing advice on fruit tree cultivation. A revised interpretation of Evelyn emerges. He carefully curated his image as a virtuoso, using publications such as Kalendarium Hortense and Pomona as part of a successful self-fashioning project that established his reputation as an expert with a high degree of horticultural knowledge. In fact, his work largely synthesised the insights of others whose contribution he often failed to acknowledge. His horticultural guidance was shaped less by his own practice and more by his extensive reading of classical and contemporary European literature and ideas provided by John Beale, John Rose and George London. The thesis considers Evelyn’s unacknowledged reliance on European authors. His Elysium Britannicum drew heavily on works by Peter Lauremberg and Jacques Boyceau. Some of the apparently innovative content in Kalendarium Hortense was taken from Pierre Morin. Significant discoveries are described including detailed guidance notes by Beale concerning a now lost chapter in Elysium Britannicum and the previously unknown first draft by Beale for much of Pomona. Beale was the main source of the soil science of Terra and the argument for vegetarianism in Acetaria. Late in his career, Evelyn turned to George London who probably helped with the 1685 replanting and reshaping of Sayes Court and the provision of substantial new content for an expanded edition of Kalendarium Hortense in 1691. Some common misconceptions about Evelyn are addressed. He had little sympathy for the improvement agenda of the Hartlib circle. Although an enthusiastic supporter of the Royal Society, Evelyn’s approach to knowledge creation was conservative and relied upon evidence from trusted sources rather than experimentation. He took little interest in the Royal Society’s Georgical Committee for agricultural improvement. His priority instead was the promotion of magnificent gardens to England’s aristocratic elite. While Evelyn was not an original thinker his books successfully synthesised and popularised new ideas about gardening. His learned literary style appealed to both elite and aspirational readers and his partnership with George London contributed to the success of the Brompton Park Nursery.

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ORCID for Christine McAleavy: orcid.org/0000-0003-1459-3639

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